The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1887-12-01
COLLECTING DEBTS.
An Experienced Collector Who Finds II
Pays to be Deaf.


An Experienced Collector Who Finds n
Pays to be Deaf.
'.No. we have not adopted the Chi
cago method of collecting bills in New
York." said an experienced bill coll
lector, land l don't know that the
police would tolerate them, if we had.
The wagon marked in flaming letters
bad Debts Collected" is still un-
known in our streets, and If any Office
sends around letters with 'Bad Debt"
stamped on their envelopes, have not
heard of it. Debts are collected in
New York by dunning, if the debtor
won't pay wiGhin decent time and
has property within reach. And dun
ming, as well as being the Oldest, is,
after all, the most effectual method"
..But suppose the debtor is mot at
home to be dunned?"
"Then wait quietly until he is at
home-if the debt is worth waiting for.
If can, get the servant, as soon as l
call, and before she has notified her
master, to let me in. which, as l look
respectable. she can hardly refuse to
do, and sit down, if not invited to 4
seat, until she comes with an answer.
| Then l decide to wait till he comes in,
and am quite obtuse to any hints as to
the probable lateness of his return. II
he is a man, or if she is a woman, who
wishes to keep up appearances with the
servants. that debt is soon settled.
"But if the servant is in with the en-
ployer, then a more persistent course
has to be adopted, and calls made SO
frequently as to attract the attention of
folks living in the vicinity. 1 take the
rebuff, which in such case l am sure
to meet. very quietly and respectfully
and very leisurely, and in a way to be
seen by anybody at the windows around.
l select the bill from handful of other
bills, look at it, fiddle over it, and
perhaps mark something on it, and
slowly and carefully return it to the
bunch. Then, as if unconscious that I
had attracted any attention. l descend
the steps to the street and walk off,
carrying the bunch of bills in my hand.
This, repeated few days in any neigh
borhood, respectable or otherwise, is
commonly enough to bring the debtor
to time. or compel him TO move.
lone trick I have is to pretend to be
deaf. As matter of fact my hearing
is as good as anybody's, but deafness
is an excellent faculty in a collector.
especially when combined with hearing
acute enough to detect hint of settle
ment. There's lawyer down town.
good enough pay, but rather slow, and
it is amusing to notice how he acts
when l happen into his Office. He
starts up from his desk, and meets me
half way, and puts his mouth to my ear
to tell me when he will settle, or that
he can't settle just then. or something
of that sort. Ipretend not to UNDER
stand just what he has said, and in The
loud tone which deaf people ordinarily
use ask him to repeat it, which he
does with a greas deal Of disgust Ny
manner is of course SO respectful that
he has no occasion for offense.
There are one or more collecting
agencies which menace debtors with
the publication of their names in a
sheet or circular FOR distribution
throughout the country among business
men; but my own opinion is that the
method is not very effective one. l
know of one instance in which debtor
was about to pay over money to col
lector, and the collector unfortunately
remarked, as much in jest as in earnest:
I'm glad you're paying this now, as l
was just about to send your name to
mentioning "a concern of the
kind to which l have alluded. The
money had not yet passed from the
debtors outstretched hand. He was a
quick-tempered sort of fellow, and the
remark stung him. He drew back the
money and pocketed it, with the re-
mark: %, indeed! / would just like
to see my name published in that
affair." The collector went away with
out his money. and, as the debtor hap
pened to be an astute and experienced
lawyer, it was deemed prudent not to
herald his name in the manner indi-
Gated.
''There are many ways of collecting
a debt; but plain, simple dunning is the
best. ~ Y. San.
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